UNICEF: Educate children against BF

     
Educate children against bird flu: UNICEF chief


United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) executive director Ann Veneman listens to a question during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo. Veneman called for education programs to protect children from bird flu, warning they were particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus.

   The head of UNICEF called for education programs to protect children from bird flu, warning they were particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus.
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Children can fall victim to the disease "primarily because they are the ones that oftentimes play around the poultry and have contact with the poultry," said Ann Veneman, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund.
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"So it's very important that we have an education program for families about how to protect children if they have sick birds around their homes," Veneman told a news conference during a three-day visit to Japan.
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The H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, has killed more than 100 people worldwide, mostly in Asia. Experts worry that the virus could mutate into a new strain that could be easily transmissible among humans.
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This was the first trip to Japan for Veneman, the former US secretary of agriculture, since she was appointed as head of the UN agency devoted to children.
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She held talks with Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki Tuesday morning and was scheduled to meet later with Foreign Minister Taro Aso before ending her trip on Wednesday. — AFP
The head of UNICEF called for education programs to protect children from bird flu, warning they were particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus.
.
Children can fall victim to the disease "primarily because they are the ones that oftentimes play around the poultry and have contact with the poultry," said Ann Veneman, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund.
.
"So it's very important that we have an education program for families about how to protect children if they have sick birds around their homes," Veneman told a news conference during a three-day visit to Japan.
.
The H5N1 strain of bird flu, its most aggressive form, has killed more than 100 people worldwide, mostly in Asia. Experts worry that the virus could mutate into a new strain that could be easily transmissible among humans.
.
This was the first trip to Japan for Veneman, the former US secretary of agriculture, since she was appointed as head of the UN agency devoted to children.
.
She held talks with Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki Tuesday morning and was scheduled to meet later with Foreign Minister Taro Aso before ending her trip on Wednesday. — AFP
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